It's a Far Cry from an ordinary game.

Let me start by saying I'm not usually a huge fan of first person shooters. Only a few have ever interested me. But if you like Half-Life, Bond, or Metal Gear, you'll love this game! The graphics are delicious, and the story isn't too bad. But really, who's in it for the story?

PERFORMANCE: eMachines users need not apply.
You will need a decent computer to run on the most minimal of settings, and who wants that? UbiSoft RECOMMENDS >2.0 GHZ processor, 512-1gb RAM, 64MB Video card and 4 free GB hard drive space. But it is worth it! Tweaking the settings can be tricky, but fortunately FarCry can auto detect what's best for you.

PROS------------------------------
Video: I recently got a new video card (nVidia GeForce FX 5900), and I was eager to burn a hole in it with some game. A friend happily complied and convinced me to download the demo for FarCry. I was immediately impressed, and purchased it ASAP. The graphics are sharp enough to set your watch to.

Audio: The music in this game is standard creepy game music. It is often missing just so that ambient creaking/cracking and growling can make you nervous. I wouldn’t say the audio was life changing, but it was well done.

Controls: There are a LOT of controls in this game. That can prove a detriment to some people, but pros will appreciate the wide range of positions that Jack (the main character) can make. What other game lets you throw rocks? (Even when there are none around :P ) I commend the creators on limiting movements, like on ladders or when lying down. Very realistic!

Game Play: I wouldn't be surprised to learn that there are no walkthroughs for this game. While I know there are some, my point is that they are not necessary. Not because there's only one path, but there are so many! If you get killed, you can always try another way to go. Plus, as you will find out very early in the game, sneaking around is a must to stay alive. Identifying targets and properly flushing areas with long distance shooting is the safest way to go. Bum rushing is usually lethal.

AI (enemies): I can not say enough about the top quality job that was done on AI. They can see you, they can remember you, and they are full of surprises. As far as I can tell, battles that you are not a part of (say between mercenaries and mutants) seem to run of their own accord. Sometimes one group wins or the other. A great example of spontaneity is reloading, only to discover that instead of an enemy popping up in front of you, they go around. They call for backup, and they can kill you. Even on easy mode... I'm reluctant to say they are difficult, but they are fair. Hiding will make you virtually invisible, running will not. The bottom line is, be careful. Do what you would do in real life.

Story: The story, like the audio, is nothing spectacular. I'm sure you will be surprised to learn that experiments have gone wrong... (Half-Life anyone?)

CONS---------------------------
VIDEO: This game can kill your computer if you don't have the proper equipment. Choppiness is common among older computers.

AUDIO: My only complaint is how quiet the voiceovers are sometimes. I struggle to hear at times. Otherwise, everything was good.

Controls: Preset controls are awkward, and some of the layout plain makes no sense. Fortunately they are all easily fixed by changing the options.

Gameplay: Sometimes the game switches between being incredibly easy to excruciatingly hard. Later in the game, ammo becomes scarce and enemies difficult. I don't really hold this against the game though, since planning is important... except for the mutant monkeys that jump a hundred feet onto your FACE. Minor bugs still exist in the game. I've had a problem with walking up to collect ammo, but when I get there it had instantly slid down the slope. I suspect this will be fixed. One major complaint is controls on the ladder. I understand restricted movement, but getting on and off ladders in a firefight can be fatal in this game. Sometimes you fall, and sometimes you can’t get off the damn ladder. I hope they fix this.

AI: Only minor bugs with AI being stuck in the water, or AI just standing and not moving intelligently. Again, very minor.

Story: Don't expect this to win an Oscar. This story holds the fun together, and that's all that counts.


OVERALL-------------------------
This game is a 5 out of 5. The few problems are so minute in comparison the awesomeness of this game. And at a price of $40 for 5 disks, you get what you pay for: one of the best games ever for PC.